‘You don’t know what you don’t know.’
Cars have lots of ways to inform you that something is off: warning lights, noises and changes in driving can let a driver know there’s an issue. But does everyone know what these warning signs are? Well, one TikToker recently learned a new failsafe that lets drivers know a taillight is out.
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Bry Crasch (@brycrasch) racked up an impressive 1.2 million views when he asked viewers if they knew about their turn signals making a different sound when their taillight is out.
How he found out about the taillight
According to Bry, he learned that his taillight was out while he was on the phone with his mom.
“I just learned something that I have never before and I have to share it to see if you know this or if i’m just dumb,” Crasch begins
“I was on the phone with my mom while I was driving, and she was like one of your taillights is out in your car,” he continues.
Confused as to how his mom knew his taillight was out over the phone, Bry asked her how she knew.
“She was like, ‘I heard your turn signal… ‘Your turn signal on the left hand side makes a different sound and it is telling you that your taillight is out,” he says.
Then Crasch shows viewers the difference. First he put on his right turn signal, which emitted a regular ticking sound, but when he turned on his left hand turn signal the sound picked up speed.
“Am I an idiot? Does everybody know this?” Crasch asks.
Many users said they’d never known about a turn signal making a different sound when a taillight is out.
“Literally no one tells us ANNYTHHINGGG,” one said.
“I thought my blink was flashing faster bc it had anxiety,” another shared.
“Not alone! I’m 42 and just learned this today. Thank you for your public service announcement! I love this app,” a third said.
Others shared some of their own car maintenance knowledge.
“Yep… faster blink means burned out bulb! never stop learning!!” a user said.
“Well did you know that the tiny arrow next to the fuel gauge on your dashboard tells you which side your gas tank is on,” second said.
“Doesn’t mean taillight specifically, but does for sure mean a bulbs out. Sweet smell is coolant leak. Burnt sulfur like smell is a popped battery. Hot metallic is probably brakes,” another shared.
Why does a turn signal blink faster?
According Jiffy Lube, “a properly functioning turn signal will blink at around 60 to 120 blinks per minute,” but if there is a failing component then the “blinker speed or sound may increase.”
Cars.com explains that a “a fast-blinking turn signal usually indicates that a turn-signal bulb is burned out on that side.” The site adds that faster blinking doesn’t always mean a burned out taillight.
Issues with the electric circuit can also cause a turn signal to blink faster.
If you change the bulb and you’re still hearing a faster clicking, there may be a bigger issue, such as corrosion in the bulb socket, an improper fit, or a broken or corroded socket ground wire.
@brycrasch how have I never heard this before?? #cars #automotive #hacks #lifehack ♬ original sound – Bry Crasch
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